Chapter 72: Prince Qi is seriously injured and watch the show
It took two days to clean up Prince Qi's mansion inside and out. From the front yard gatehouse, steward's office, attendant's office, stables, etc. to the backyard kitchen, garden, storehouse, study, etc., the servants were all on edge, fearing that if something went wrong, they would be thrown out by Chief Steward Liu to do hard labor in the wasteland.
Liu Ling, the sinister and vicious old eunuch, looked like he wanted to eat people. Wherever he passed, birds and beasts scattered. However, Gu Youan smiled at him. As long as Liu Ling went to the main courtyard to report, there would definitely be a chair for him in the room.
"There are many people in the mansion, and I am old. There are always places that my eyes cannot see. Princess, please don't be bothered during this period. Ask the people in the house to stay by your side and serve you. Don't leave them even at night."
Gu Youan knew what was going on: "Don't worry, I've arranged shifts for Xiaoyue and the others since last night. One maid and one wife count as one shift, and they all sleep in my room at night."
Liu Ling smiled and nodded. The princess had a plan in mind, so he, as a servant, had no time to say more.
"One more thing. Princess, your food and drink used to be sent to you by the main kitchen. From now on, I will ask Zhang Er to transfer a few cooks who suit your taste from the main kitchen to live in the main courtyard. It's time to use the small kitchen in the main courtyard."
Gu Youan had no objection: "I'll do as you say."
Gu Youan said, "There are two empty rooms next to the small kitchen. Clean one up for the cook to live in, and use the other as a storeroom. Liu Zhong will be responsible for all the shopping expenses for the small kitchen. I will ask the aunts from the Du family to check the ingredients we buy."
Liu Ling agreed: "We have met the ladies from the Du family. They are quite capable. Let them keep an eye on it first. We have already asked people to find a few female doctors who are skilled in medicine and can treat patients. They will replace them when the time comes."
The master and the servant sorted out everything inside and out to make sure everything was in order. After two days of exhaustion, Liu Ling slowly returned to his own yard and lay down.
The gates of Prince Qi's Mansion have always been tightly guarded, and from now on, they will be even more tightly guarded.
Except for Zhou Chen, the steward of the palace, other outsiders who want to send a letter to ask for an audience with the princess basically cannot see anyone. Even if there is an important matter, it will be handled by Liu Zhong, the eunuch in charge of the princess.
In the past few days, General Meng Kai, who had just resigned from the post of General of the Northeast, brought other members of the Meng family to Songjiang City. May 20th happened to be General Meng's birthday, and the Meng family wanted to take this opportunity to hold a birthday banquet to tell everyone in Songjiang City that their Meng family would settle in Songjiang City in the future.
The Meng family's chief steward went to Prince Qi's mansion in person to deliver the invitation. Not only did he not see Zhou Changshi, he didn't even see any of the stewards of Prince Qi's mansion. He was asked to leave by the servant at the gatehouse.
The housekeeper was furious. Even though he was a servant, he was still a servant of the Meng family. How could the Prince Qi's Mansion treat him like this? It was simply outrageous!
The housekeeper returned and reported to the First Lady: "I heard that the Gu family often goes to Prince Qi's mansion and is provided with food, drink and accommodation. How come when they come to our house, they can't even send a letter in? It seems that Princess Qi looks down on our family."
Madam Yuan frowned: "What did you say when you went to deliver the invitation?"
The housekeeper said, "I'll go to the corner gate of Prince Qi's mansion and tell the gatekeeper politely that our old general's birthday is coming up soon and that a banquet will be held on May 20th. I'm sending an invitation to the princess, requesting an audience. I'll kowtow before her and pay my respects."
"What did the porter say?"
"They just told me to put the cards in the basket and leave. I looked inside and saw a lot of cards piled up in a mess. How could our cards be put together with those of poor families? I said that if the princess was busy, I could meet with Zhou Changshi or Liu Zhong."
"The concierge still hasn't delivered the message?"
"Exactly. Those people were so unreasonable. They kicked me out without even saying a word to me."
"Do you know the porter?"
"I recognize them. Not only them, but also the fathers and mothers of those servants. They are all the servants born in Prince Qi's mansion."
Butler Meng is also an elder of the Meng family. He knows those servants, and those servants must know him as well. It is impossible that he drove away the wrong person.
This matter is a bit difficult to deal with.
Mrs. Yuan held the account book in her hand, lowered her eyes and thought, their old general is holding a birthday banquet, and other guests have arrived. If Princess Qi doesn't come, then there is not much point in holding this birthday banquet.
The housekeeper also knew this, which was why he was so angry when he was kicked out by the servant at the gate of Prince Qi's mansion.
After calming down and thinking for a moment, the housekeeper said, "How about asking the master to write a letter to Prince Qi?"
"The birthday banquet is just a few days away, so it's too late to write now." Madam Yuan sighed, "There's another way. We can first invite the Gu family. If they agree to come, that would at least help."
"Madam, should we tell the master and the old lady about this?"
"Of course I have to tell you. I'll go and tell you later."
In the past, the Meng family had to look at Prince Qi's face, and men's affairs rarely came to the rear house, so the women didn't feel it clearly. Now that they had a wife, Princess Qi, Madam Yuan realized how difficult it was to be careful and cautious all the time.
Mrs. Yuan went to pay her respects to her parents-in-law. At that time, General Meng and the old lady were planting flowers and plants in the yard, chatting and laughing happily.
Madam Yuan hesitated and decided to wait until the evening to come back. Madam Meng saw her and asked, "What are you doing standing at the door? Why don't you come over?"
Madam Yuan hurried forward to greet her and said with a smile, "Since you were busy, I thought I would come after you finished."
Having lived to this age and spent most of her life in the rear courtyard, the old lady had no idea what she didn't understand. She smiled and said, "Tell me, what's making you so worried?"
Madam Yuan sighed again: "It's about Princess Qi."
Madam Yuan told her parents-in-law about the housekeeper's invitation. After hearing it, the old lady said, "The servant at the gate of Prince Qi's mansion knew Housekeeper Meng and refused to inform Princess Qi, but he also refused to inform the housekeeper. There must be some reason behind this."
"Isn't it because of Princess Qi's attitude towards our family..."
General Meng snorted, "Zhou Qi is very shrewd. If the young lady from the Gu family was really so unpresentable, he wouldn't be so determined to marry her."
Mrs. Yuan also reacted at this time and blamed her. She had long been prejudiced in her heart and thought that Princess Qi would definitely not be nice to their family because she knew that their family wanted to marry her daughter into the Qi Palace.
Madam Meng said, "The gatehouse at Prince Qi's mansion is managed by Zhou Chen. If the gatehouse servants acted this way, they must have received instructions from higher-ups. Send someone to the Zhou family and inquire about it. If you can find out something, that would be great. If not, that's fine. We can think of another solution."
"Yes, my wife will do it right away."
Mrs. Yuan reacted immediately and knew what to do without her mother-in-law's advice. Not only Zhou Chen, but also many old people of the Meng family in Prince Qi's Mansion could be asked secretly.
The Meng family went to the Zhou family first, sending a cart full of gifts. Zhou Chen was so frightened that he quickly asked everyone to leave and didn't dare to accept anything. It was hilarious. After so many things that happened to Zhou Chen, if he didn't learn his lesson, he would have had enough of life.
However, this incident also made Zhou Chen remember the Meng family. What's the matter? You Meng family came to me first. Do you think I, Zhou Chen, am easy to bribe? Or do you Meng family want to harm me?
After the Meng family left, Zhou Chen warned his family again: "If you want to live, don't do anything rash. If there is any mistake in the palace and it is traced back to you, I can't protect you."
How could the Zhou family dare to do that? Last winter, their family was almost ruined because of the grain warehouse incident, and they didn't dare to take anything anymore.
The generous gift from the Meng family was not delivered to Zhou Chen, so he went to look for the servants from the Meng family who were working in Prince Qi's Mansion. He didn't find any of the people in the mansion, but he did find two who were clearing land in Beihuang Village.
When the news reached the Meng family, Old Lady Meng affirmed, "Princess Qi isn't targeting our family. Something must have happened in the palace, which is why the gates are being guarded so tightly."
"What about our family's post?"
"Wait a little longer. We'll see what the palace has to say in a few days."
Madam Meng had a plan in mind, so Madam Yuan had no choice but to wait. The next day, Zheng Erjia, the wife of Princess Qi, came to the Meng family to deliver the reply.
Zheng Erjia smiled and said, "Our princess has been feeling unwell recently, so she won't be attending your old lady's birthday party. When your family entertains guests on that day, the princess will definitely send Zhou Changshi to bring gifts."
Although the person was not there, the gift was there, and in front of all the guests, it was considered that the palace gave face to the Meng family.
Madam Yuan felt relieved and asked with concern, "Princess, what's wrong with you? My family's doctor is quite skilled. Why don't you send him over to take a look?"
Zheng Erjia refused, saying, "It's just a woman's little problem. It will be gone in a few days."
When Mrs. Yuan heard what Zheng Erjia said, she thought it was just a menstrual problem and just laughed it off.
Zheng Erjia pulled out a land deed from her sleeve and said, "The princess said that this mansion was originally for the Meng family. It turns out that your family doesn't live in Songjiang City all the time, so you didn't remember it. Today, the princess asked someone to dig out the land deed and asked me to deliver it to you. From now on, this mansion belongs to the Meng family."
Madam Yuan took the deed and saw that it was indeed theirs. She said hurriedly, "Princess, you are so polite."
Zheng Erjia knelt and saluted, saying with a smile, "I have conveyed your message, madam. I will be leaving now."
"Don't be in a hurry to leave. Stay and have a cup of tea before you go."
Zheng Erjia thanked him and said, "My master cannot leave me alone. I must go back."
"Since you have an errand to do, I won't keep you here." Madam Yuan called her personal maid and personally escorted Zheng Erjia out.
Looking at the land deed, Mrs. Yuan felt relieved and no longer worried.
"My parents-in-law are indeed knowledgeable. I misjudged Princess Qi." Madam Yuan sighed. The worry she had been having for a whole day and night made her seem not very smart.
Madam Yuan delivered the land deed to her parents-in-law's house. General Meng snorted, "Now the Northeast General is under Zhou Qi's command, and many of the generals and officers under him are also his men. He took over the Northeast Army and received such great benefits. What's the point of giving him a worthless house?"
Madam Meng was puzzled: "Isn't the newly appointed General Ye Ting from the Northeast one of the emperor's men?"
"Ye Ting is ostensibly the emperor's man, but in reality he is Zhou Qi's man under the command of the Grand Commandant of Zhenbei. Zhou Qi simply used the emperor's hand to send his man to the position of General of the Northeast."
General Meng showed an expression of anticipation: "Ye Ting's affair won't be concealed for long. Just wait, the palace will soon know who Ye Ting is working for."
At the beginning of last winter, we fought a battle with the Tartars in the north and returned with a great victory. It was not until the thaw this year that the imperial court transferred and rewarded the Northeast Army.
The emperor had long wanted to replace Meng Chuan, the old man who was partial to Prince Qi. Now that Ye Ting had accumulated enough military power to replace him, the emperor did not hesitate to drive Meng Chuan out and let Ye Ting take the position of General of the Northeast.
Zhou Qi had calculated the emperor's intentions. Now the transfer of officers and soldiers in the Northeast Army was a foregone conclusion. Even if the people in the palace knew that Ye Ting was his man, they would be furious.
General Meng knew Zhou Qi's plan, but he felt that Zhou Qi was involved and didn't know the truth. What kind of people are the Zhou family? Don't you, a man with the surname Zhou, know this?
The Zhou family, from the oldest to the youngest, from the previous emperor to the current emperor, are all suspicious people. Even their own people will be investigated repeatedly. Once the emperor finds out Ye Ting's true identity, he doesn't believe that the palace will let him go easily.
General Meng was looking forward to it, just waiting to see the excitement.
His Meng family has lost power, so Zhou Qi can't expect everything to be good.
"Madam, please tell Xing Liuniang that women can also participate in the official selection in Songjiang City at the end of this month. If she wants to go, she can go."
Xing Liuniang's father and brother were originally retainers of the Meng family. More than ten years ago, they were robbed while out and all of them died. The women in the family also remarried or died, leaving only the infant Xing Liuniang to be raised by the Meng family.
Xing Liuniang was not good at needlework but was very good at martial arts. As she grew older, the Meng family's several grandsons of the same age could not beat her. Old Madam Meng had originally thought that if one of her grandsons married Xing Liuniang, it would be considered as repaying the kindness of her father and brother who risked their lives to protect her. But now, several grandsons are hiding from her and do not want to marry Xing Liuniang.
Xing Liuniang was already sixteen years old, and Old Lady Meng was worried. When she heard her husband say this, she asked, "How can a woman be selected as an official?"
General Meng said, "Songjiang City's Qiwang Mansion is the heaven. Since Qiwangfei said that women can participate in the selection of officials, what's wrong with that?"
"Princess Qi needs a woman with good skills?"
General Meng nodded and said, "All the girls from the Ping An Escort Agency who have old ties to Princess Qi will go. If Liu Niang seizes this opportunity to be with Princess Qi, it will be a good thing for us."
Thinking of the situation at the Meng family, Madam Meng made up her mind: "I'll go and tell them."
Madam Yuan said, "Sixth Lady grew up in our house. Even if she is chosen, Princess Qi may not keep her by her side."
"If Liu Niang chooses to be with Princess Qi, that would be even better. If she can't go to Prince Qi's mansion and join the army, that would also be what Liu Niang wants."
Although Liu Niang is a woman, perhaps because her father and brother both died at the hands of bandits, she has had a heart to fight against evil and protect the good since she was a child. But in the Zhou Dynasty, which army would accept a young lady?
Now, the opportunity is right in front of her, it depends on whether she can seize it.
In late May, before the official selection began, the merchant caravans in Songjiang City had already set out for the interior, and Gu Youan's secret letter to Prince Qi had already reached him.
After learning that An An was pregnant, King Qi felt extremely happy, but at the same time, he was filled with emotion. He was married, had a wife, and would have his own child next year. He was no longer alone.
After reading the letter twice, he carefully folded it and put it in an envelope, then carefully placed it in a wooden box specially for letters, which was then placed in the cabinet.
Xu Zhi was used to seeing his master behave like this every time he saw the princess's new queen. Xu Zhi smiled and congratulated his master: "Master, when are we going back? The princess must be looking forward to your return."
"I'll be back once I've finished with the Northeast Army."
The smile on Prince Qi's face gradually faded: "Zhou Xuan should have heard the news by now."
Xu Zhi nodded affirmatively: "If the news reaches the palace, I'm afraid they will instruct the censor to impeach you again. General Ye will not be able to escape. Perhaps we should find a way to pull General Ye down and replace him with someone else."
Prince Qi was waiting. He didn't care about the impeachment. He only cared about whether Ye Ting's position was stable.
After all, Ye Ting is not a veteran of the Northeast Army. He has not been in the Northeast Army for long. Ye Ting's military achievements are there and no one dares to say to his face that he is unworthy, but it is better to be more stable.
In order to reduce internal turmoil in the Northeast Army, Prince Qi will stay here for a while.
Prince Qi talked a lot today, and wrote more than ten pages of letter paper. Xu Zhi's feet were numb from standing there waiting.
After writing the last line, Prince Qi felt that he still had something to say, so he called Xu Zhi, "Spread out another piece of paper."
"Little one will be right here."
Xu Zhi ran over to the cabinet and took out a new stack of paper. Prince Qi wrote two more sheets before he finished.
After the letter paper dried, Xu Zhi packed the letters and went outside to ask someone to send them back to Songjiang City. At the same time, he thought that if it were two years ago, he would never have imagined that his prince would look like this after getting married.
Alas, when I have a little master in the future, I don’t know whether the prince will be a kind father or a strict father.
Xu Zhi and other servants who served him closely were still guessing, but when it came to Gu Youan, she said with certainty, "It must be a strict mother and a kind father."
Duan was puzzled: "How do you know? I see that Prince Qi always has a cold face. He doesn't look like a kind father at first glance."
Gu Youan laughed out loud. Zhou Qi’s face was really deceptive.
Duan smiled and said, "That's right. It's definitely different in front of outsiders than in front of my wife and children."
Today is May 20th, and General Meng is celebrating his birthday, which happens to be his day off. In order to avoid gossip, the Gu family must go.
It was inconvenient for Duan to go to the Meng family with such a big belly, and she had nothing to do at home. Before going to the Meng family, Du asked the coachman to drive the carriage to Prince Qi's Mansion and asked her daughter-in-law to play in Prince Qi's Mansion for a day. She would come to pick her daughter-in-law up in the afternoon.
Gu Youan talked to his sister-in-law for a while and asked with concern, "Are you hungry, sister-in-law?"
Duan touched her stomach sheepishly and said, "It's time to eat something."
"Then just eat something to fill your stomach."
In the small kitchen of the main courtyard, various soups and snacks were always being cooked, and Gu Youan had just called for them, and in a short while seven or eight dishes were served.
Qian, the daughter-in-law from the Du family, said, "Don't be hungry. Eat a little when you want, but don't eat too much. If the fetus gets too big, it will be difficult to deliver."
Gu Youan and Duan both nodded, they both knew it.
The aunt and sister-in-law ate half their fill and didn't sit down anymore. They walked hand in hand in the yard to look at the newly grown flowers and plants.
Mrs. Duan said, "We also planted many flowers and plants in our courtyard in the village. It's the end of May and they've only just started to grow. They're not good to look at yet. The flowers and plants in your house are still lush and flourishing."
"That's different. The flowers and plants in our yard all spend the winter in the yard. The flowers and plants in the palace are dug up and planted in pots before the snow falls in winter. They are kept in the greenhouse during the winter."
Duan smiled and said, "So there are flowers blooming in the palace in winter?"
"some."
"I used to hear my parents talk about how wealthy families held all sorts of flower banquets in winter, which was really lively. The Meng family held them a few times in Songjiang City. I saw only a few chrysanthemums and plum blossoms, and they didn't look like a huge cluster of flowers."
Gu Youan understood what his sister-in-law meant and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, are you asking me to hold a flower banquet in winter?"
"Hahaha, you heard it."
Duan patted her belly as she walked slowly, smiling, "I know you're afraid of trouble, but this winter will be different. Even if you don't have a third-day bath for your child, can you not have one for his full moon? A full moon banquet is such a big event, it should be filled with flowers and plants, and it will look great."
Hey, a sea of flowers, sounds like a good word.
At this time, the Meng family's house on North 1st Street also looked like a sea of flowers, except that the flower at the top looked like it was about to wither.
General Meng invited Gu Wen to sit at the seat of honor, but it was not convenient for Gu Wen to sit at the seat of honor in the Meng family, as he was of lower status and generation.
Gu Wen thanked General Meng for his kindness. He went to sit at a table with several second-level officers. Someone jokingly said, "Master Gu, you can sit at the top table in the palace, but you can't sit at the top table of the Meng family?"
Gu Wen repeatedly evaded the question: "Please stop laughing at me."
It is quite interesting to make fun of Prince Qi's father-in-law whenever you have the chance. Some people deliberately hold on to it, comparing the Meng family with Prince Qi's Mansion, and also dragging the Gu family into it. Gu Wen had to drink two glasses of wine with others before he asked these onlookers to restrain themselves.
Wine is indispensable at men's banquets, but at the banquets of the women in the backyard, the constant chatting is more lively than drinking.
Madam Yuan led several sisters-in-law, all of whom had been raised by the family, and smiled as they entertained the guests. The women of the Meng family were endearing when they were willing to be approachable. Generally speaking, even though Gu Youan didn't attend, they had given him enough face. The Meng family's birthday banquet had achieved their goal, and both sides were satisfied.
After the Meng family’s birthday banquet, the official selection process in Songjiang City began.
Gu Youan did not join in the fun. Three days later, the official selection was over and the list was handed to Gu Youan. On the list of military officers, women were listed on a separate page. Among the familiar names, there was an unfamiliar Xing Liuniang. Gu Youan thought about it carefully, but he didn't know from which family this girl came.
"Whose family is this? In the county?"
Liu Zhongzheng was waiting for his master to ask, so he revealed Xing Liuniang's identity.
Gu Youan asked, "This young lady has such a rough life. Liu Zhong, have you ever met her? What's her personality like?"
"She has an extremely strong character. During the final round of the competition, she was knocked down several times. Her face was cut open by the ground, and the bleeding did not make her admit defeat. She managed to defeat her opponent with one breath."
"Is it really that powerful?"
Gu Youan looked at Li Xian, who lowered his head and said, "If we only talk about skills, she and Guo Su are on par."
Gu Youan thought about it carefully and said: "First, arrange for him to join the guard team. If that doesn't work, then assign him other tasks."
Liu Zhong reminded: "The Meng family..."
"If she were a smart girl, she would know how to choose. After all, Xing Liuniang doesn't owe the Meng family anything."
Liu Zhong nodded in agreement.
Three days later, all those who were selected as officials were assigned tasks. Guo Su led a dozen sisters into Prince Qi's mansion and met Xing Liuniang. The two had a fight that day, and Guo Su won. Guo Su was the leader of the female guard team.
Gu Youan burst into laughter after hearing this. It had to be Guo Su.
After the selection of officials was completed, May passed. In June, the weather was getting hotter. Gu You couldn't sleep well and missed Zhou Qi a little. He asked Zhou Qi if the matter had been settled.
In late June, Ye Ting secured his position as General of the Northeast, and Prince Qi could not wait to return to Songjiang City.
On the way back to Songjiang City, Prince Qi was robbed and killed. He was stabbed in the abdomen and fell into a coma.
The messenger ran back to Songjiang City and immediately reported to the princess.
When Gu Youan learned that Zhou Qi was seriously injured and unconscious, his face turned pale and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
She was going to find him, he must be waiting for her to save him.
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